UN Report highlights the potential of forests to reduce poverty
The essential role of forests in providing environmental services such as pollination, climate change mitigation and control of soil erosion and pests has long been known. However, less attention has been paid to the socio-economic benefits that forests provide as a new UN agency report, The State of the World’s Forests (SOFO), highlights.
The report revealed that a significant proportion of world’s population , particularly those in developing countries, rely on forest products to meet basic needs such as food, shelter and energy. 18% of the world's population live in houses built from wood and it also provides over half the total energy supply in 29 countries. For those living in poverty, wood is often the only source of affordable and accessible building materials and energy.
Despite this the report found that these essential services are rarely recognized in national policies and clear evidence which could inform decisions on forest management and use is lacking. As Jose Graziano da Silva, Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), states “we cannot ensure food security or sustainable development without preserving and using forest resources responsibly”. A shift in focus, from trees to people, is needed as providing local communities with access to forest and markets could provide powerful ways of enhancing socio-economic benefits and reducing poverty.
